Mobile phone emissions modulate brain excitability in patients with focal epilepsy.
Tombini M, Pellegrino G, Pasqualetti P, Assenza G, Benvenga A, Fabrizio E, Rossini PM · 2012
View Original AbstractMobile phone radiation increases brain excitability in epilepsy patients after 45 minutes of exposure, suggesting heightened vulnerability in this population.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 10 epilepsy patients to mobile phone radiation for 45 minutes and measured brain activity using magnetic stimulation. They found that phone radiation increased brain excitability (electrical activity) in epilepsy patients, but only when the phone was held on the side of the head opposite to where their seizures originate. This suggests that mobile phone radiation affects the brains of epilepsy patients differently than healthy people.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a troubling vulnerability in people with epilepsy when exposed to mobile phone radiation. The science demonstrates that GSM radiation doesn't just affect healthy brains - it creates distinct and potentially concerning changes in the brains of epilepsy patients. What makes this particularly significant is that the brain changes occurred after just 45 minutes of exposure, which is well within typical daily phone use patterns. The reality is that millions of people with epilepsy use mobile phones regularly, yet this research suggests their brains may respond to radiation in ways that could potentially influence seizure activity. While this study didn't directly measure seizures, increased brain excitability is a known risk factor for seizure occurrence. The evidence shows we need much more research into how EMF exposure affects vulnerable populations, particularly those with neurological conditions who may be at higher risk.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), the current study assessed the effects of acute exposure to mobile phone EMFs on the cortical excitability in patients with focal epilepsy.
Ten patients with cryptogenic focal epilepsy originating outside the primary motor area (M1) were st...
The present study clearly demonstrated that an acute and relatively prolonged exposure to GSM-EMFs m...
Present results suggest a significant interaction between the brain excitability changes induced by EMFs and the epileptic focus, which eliminated the excitability enhancing effects of EMFs evident only in the CH.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2012_mobile_phone_emissions_modulate_2628,
author = {Tombini M and Pellegrino G and Pasqualetti P and Assenza G and Benvenga A and Fabrizio E and Rossini PM},
title = {Mobile phone emissions modulate brain excitability in patients with focal epilepsy.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22889717/},
}